The fall in the oil price will benefit oil-importing countries such as Kenya, but the benefits may be lost because of the African continent's over-reliance on trade with China.

Gulf central banks have unveiled big stimulus packages but commercial banks need to transmit this to the real economy – difficult to do when appetite for credit is so low.

Africa’s oil exporters are feeling the pressure after the crash in the oil price and fears of the coronavirus Covid-19, as investors pull money from international bond markets.

A double shock of Covid-19 and falling oil prices brings the spectre of recession to the Gulf, while efforts to diversify economies are being derailed.

The recent collapse in the oil price and Nigeria's (lack of) reaction to it echoes the way the country dealt with the crisis in 2015. Repetition of the same mistakes will only cause harm for Africa's largest economy.

The sovereign borrower, it seems, will lose its last remaining investment grade, as the risks accentuate.

Expo 2020 showcases economic and business opportunities in Dubai. Bankers hope it will lead to a boom in areas such as SME lending and infrastructure investment, but worry that a short-term lift will not be enough to dispel broader concerns about the country’s economy.

Despite MSCI index inclusion and a landmark trade by Saudi Aramco, global funds are still $70 billion underweight Gulf equities, but the UAE and Saudi are making progress in deepening markets.

Persistent ethnic violence and debt-servicing risks should be making investors cautious, despite progress with an IMF programme.

DP World is planning to delist from the Nasdaq Dubai in a move that directly contradicts the UAE’s efforts to improve liquidity and diversity in its domestic exchanges.

As birth rates fall and the UAE government looks at ways to spur population growth, private equity firms see opportunities in IVF.

Authorities are seeking to honour upcoming debt repayments, but more needs to be accomplished to restore market confidence, with the economy in a spin.

A draft law in the United Arab Emirates will see more family-run corporates listing, while pension reforms will create a huge pool of investable assets.

Some organizations, drawn in by irresistible fees, can’t resist working with high-risk clients – but technology might offer a solution.

Kenyan property developer Acorn Holdings has issued a small but smartly structured bond programme, which will remove barriers to entry for local market bonds as local currency bonds retain appeal.

Israel has taken orders of $20 billion for its first Eurobond of the year, despite the deadly strike on an Iranian general that threatened to push simmering Middle Eastern tensions to boiling point in early January.

Ethiopia’s IMF deal is a notable step towards addressing its external imbalances and to opening up the country’s economy.

The two countries have been continually improving in Euromoney’s crowd-sourcing country risk survey. One of the survey contributors explains why.

The Lebanese authorities said that they met a $1.5 billion bond payment in late November, but with the country rapidly running out of money and in the absence of any clear ability to enact reforms, Euromoney looks at its options.

BayanPay, a digital payments company owned by London-listed Finablr, has received regulatory approval to operate its mobile money platform in Saudi Arabia, as the Kingdom looks to a future without cash.

The bank will open a new office in New York to capture the US market in Africa.

Egypt’s equity market has been slow to recover to pre-revolution levels, but liquidity is returning and companies are lining up to list.

Kenya’s parliament passes a law to lift an interest rate cap that has hampered credit growth and economic development, in a move that may pave the way to a new agreement with the IMF.

Saudi Aramco’s intention to list aims to clear up any doubts wealth managers may have about investing on behalf of women, but it also draws attention to the fact that, despite reforms, the full inclusion of women in Saudi society is still a distant reality.

A number of contentious political reforms under president John Magufuli have weakened investor enthusiasm for Tanzania in recent years.

Mohamed Maait says that Egypt is committed to implementing the much-needed reforms to drive growth, and is pressing ahead with the sale of several state-owned companies, as it looks to agree new terms with the IMF.

Mobilizing global pension funds could be the key to financing Africa’s $150 billion infrastructure needs, but more investor education is needed to unlock dollar savings globally.

Riad Salamé says that Lebanon has the tools it needs to stave off default, but with protestors demanding fundamental change, analysts question whether a radical overhaul of the country's economy is what is really needed.